Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSorry, Rick Perry: Donald Trump isn’t a “cancer” on conservatism — he embodies conservatism
Source: Salon
WEDNESDAY, JUL 22, 2015 01:33 PM EDT
Sorry, Rick Perry: Donald Trump isnt a cancer on conservatism he embodies conservatism
Donald Trump is not corrupting the conservative movement; he's benefiting from the
movement's existing corruption
SIMON MALOY
Donald Trumps ascendance in the 2016 Republican polls has proved to be something of a boon for lower tier candidates looking to bask in the corona of Trumps enormous media spotlight. Among those candidates, no one has done more to position himself as the anti-Trump than former Texas governor Rick Perry. Eagerly responding to Trumps unending stream of insults and provocations, Perrys been throwing out denunciation after denunciation, arguing that Trump is unfit to serve as president. His campaign has been trolling The Donald on Twitter, retweeting the racist billionaire skidmarks past praise of Perry. Now hes taken to referring to Trump as a cancer on conservatism.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Im all for calling out Trump and saying as many nasty things as can possibly be said about him, but lets be clear about something. Trump isnt a problem for Republicans because he represents a perversion of conservatism. Hes a problem because he represents conservatism too well.
Trumps rise in the polls is attributable in some part to his celebrity and his knack for drawing media attention, but its also true that the outlandish nonsense he says about immigrant rapists and building a giant wall on the southern border resonates with a significant portion of the Republican electorate. This is not some unpredictable accident. The official policy of the Republican Party is to be overtly hostile to undocumented immigrants and to treat them with as much disdain as can be mustered. They do this because even the slightest hint of non-hostility to immigrants will open up Republican officeholders to charges that theyre pro-amnesty, and thats when the primary challengers start filing their paperwork. Rick Perry understands this better than most Republicans: during his 2011 presidential run he was raked over the coals by conservatives after he chastised Republicans as heartless for opposing in-state tuitions for undocumented immigrant students.
Theres also the recurring phenomenon of Republican base voters flocking to candidates embody the toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that Perry laments. In the minds of voters and activists, candidates who freely and forcefully say crazy shit are merely saying what needs to be said. This veneration of the willingness to be un-PC is a natural reaction to the many years of griping from conservative media and Republican officeholders that liberals and the mainstream press are trying to police their speech. Before Trump joined the 2016 fray, Ben Carson was the chief beneficiary of this phenomenon, drawing rave reviews from the activist right as he compared America under Barack Obama to Hitlers Germany.
And so while Rick Perry makes the argument that Trump is a tumor within his party, conservatives on TV and (more importantly) talk radio are making the case that Trump captures the conservative spirit better than the other candidates in the race.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Sorry, Rick Perry: Donald Trump isnt a cancer on conservatism he embodies conservatism
Donald Trump is not corrupting the conservative movement; he's benefiting from the
movement's existing corruption
SIMON MALOY
Donald Trumps ascendance in the 2016 Republican polls has proved to be something of a boon for lower tier candidates looking to bask in the corona of Trumps enormous media spotlight. Among those candidates, no one has done more to position himself as the anti-Trump than former Texas governor Rick Perry. Eagerly responding to Trumps unending stream of insults and provocations, Perrys been throwing out denunciation after denunciation, arguing that Trump is unfit to serve as president. His campaign has been trolling The Donald on Twitter, retweeting the racist billionaire skidmarks past praise of Perry. Now hes taken to referring to Trump as a cancer on conservatism.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Im all for calling out Trump and saying as many nasty things as can possibly be said about him, but lets be clear about something. Trump isnt a problem for Republicans because he represents a perversion of conservatism. Hes a problem because he represents conservatism too well.
Trumps rise in the polls is attributable in some part to his celebrity and his knack for drawing media attention, but its also true that the outlandish nonsense he says about immigrant rapists and building a giant wall on the southern border resonates with a significant portion of the Republican electorate. This is not some unpredictable accident. The official policy of the Republican Party is to be overtly hostile to undocumented immigrants and to treat them with as much disdain as can be mustered. They do this because even the slightest hint of non-hostility to immigrants will open up Republican officeholders to charges that theyre pro-amnesty, and thats when the primary challengers start filing their paperwork. Rick Perry understands this better than most Republicans: during his 2011 presidential run he was raked over the coals by conservatives after he chastised Republicans as heartless for opposing in-state tuitions for undocumented immigrant students.
Theres also the recurring phenomenon of Republican base voters flocking to candidates embody the toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that Perry laments. In the minds of voters and activists, candidates who freely and forcefully say crazy shit are merely saying what needs to be said. This veneration of the willingness to be un-PC is a natural reaction to the many years of griping from conservative media and Republican officeholders that liberals and the mainstream press are trying to police their speech. Before Trump joined the 2016 fray, Ben Carson was the chief beneficiary of this phenomenon, drawing rave reviews from the activist right as he compared America under Barack Obama to Hitlers Germany.
And so while Rick Perry makes the argument that Trump is a tumor within his party, conservatives on TV and (more importantly) talk radio are making the case that Trump captures the conservative spirit better than the other candidates in the race.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/sorry_rick_perry_donald_trump_isnt_a_cancer_on_conservatism_he_embodies_conservatism/
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 537 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (9)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Sorry, Rick Perry: Donald Trump isn’t a “cancer” on conservatism — he embodies conservatism (Original Post)
Eugene
Jul 2015
OP
The man threw his dog whistle away and is screaming on top of his lungs:
Baitball Blogger
Jul 2015
#1
Baitball Blogger
(47,498 posts)1. The man threw his dog whistle away and is screaming on top of his lungs:
"Red Rover, Red Rover send all your racists right over."
7wo7rees
(5,128 posts)2. Very funny. "Red rover....." nt